What Kids Are Doing to Avoid Doing House Chores: December Chronicles

My landlord's kids are home for the Christmas holidays. There is no more quiet in the compound. Even the ducks and chicken appear restless because any time mwenye nyumba's kid passes by they have to make their presence known by either chasing the birds or just stamping their tiny feet so the birds can move away. I'm pretty sure in the heads of the birds, when that happens they are thinking,"well, this is it. I'm dinner." So the anxiety must be all over the place. And before anyone asks, yes, chickens do have brains, and they are capable of basic cognitive functions. While their brains are not as complex as those of mammals, chickens exhibit behaviors that suggest some level of thinking and problem-solving ability. They can learn from experience, navigate their environment, recognize other chickens, and even show signs of social intelligence within their flock. However, their cognitive abilities are more focused on survival instincts and social interactions rather than complex reasoning.

Also read about my landlord's rooster: Jogoo wa Mtaa

Anyhow, one thing I have come to appreciate about kids in this village is how respecful they are of their elders. Never have I ever once passed a playground with kids and missed a "shikamoo." So my landlord's second born son looks a little off today. Every day when I come back from the mjengo, I sit outside my house to wait for the fan to cool the house a little bit. Yes it is that hot. When I sit, the ducks often join me but since the kids came, they havent been moving closer to me. The kids however, come to tell me stories about the day's japes other kids played on them. Jafari just confessed to me that although he looks sick, he isnt. He is just tired of doing home chores. Pre-teens are quite clever when it comes to avoiding tasks they don't want to do, and faking illness can be one of their tactics. It's a way to buy more time before having to engage in something they don't want to do. And get this, he advised me to pull that if I didn't want to go to site on Monday. I just might do it. Afterall Christmas is around the corner and the mood for work is on the downward trend.

Happy Holidays from DoAMG

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